The year 2019 is designated ‘International year of the salmon’ by the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization (NASCO), to stimulate research and encourage the general public to support salmon conservation. This research, which has been funded by Inland Fisheries Ireland, responds to the wider international call for establishing the conditions for resilience of salmon stocks in a changing world. Salmon and sea trout stocks have declined dramatically over the last few decades due to excessive fishing, habitat decline and the impacts of climate change.
The research considers anglers’ preferences for salmon and trout conservation from two perspectives: their attitudes to fishing catch and release (which limits the loss of spawning potential) and their preferences for conservation-oriented options for fishery management
